Bloodborne & The Old Hunters Collector’s Edition Guides

Future Press gone behind the scenes with Bloodborne's creators to unearth every secret hidden within the mysterious city of Yharnam. Your hunt through the streets of Yharnam will be your most exciting and rewarding journey yet, and the road will be hard. But fear not! These guides are your key to mastering the merciless challenges and navigating the darkest depths of the city. [More]

Notes

Note 2: With fully stacked Bloodtinge, the Reiterpallasch and Rifle Spear's gunshots will surpass almost every other firearm in the game (sans Bone Marrow Ash).

Note 3: Reiterpallasch's bullets will change from blood to the elemental damage of these gems if equipped.

Note 4: While it says physical, it DOES affect the blood damage of the Transformed Chikage.

Odd Bloodtinge

This effect adds a set amount of blood attack to your weapon. The possible values range from +1 blood attack to +93.8 blood attack. This effect only works on weapons that already have blood attack naturally; most of the guns fall into this category. You can use Odd Bloodtinge to make weapons like the Hunter Pistol powerful even with a low bloodtinge stat.

Among the right-hand weapons, the Chikage can also be used with the Odd Bloodtinge effect; its transformed mode does only blood-type damage and is the only mode that will benefit from this effect. Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear can also use Odd Bloodtinge, but the bonus damage is only applied to their gun attacks.

Most enemies aren't really weak against blood attacks. The usefulness of blood attacks are that they are often usable from range. There are a few enemies with low blood defense, though; they're prime targets for the Chikage's transformed mode or firearms with Bone Marrow Ash.

Odd Arcane

This effect adds a set amount of arcane attack to your weapon. The possible values range from +1 arcane attack to +93,8 arcane attack. For non-buffable weapons, like the Tonitrus, they will receive the bonus arcane damage provided by the gem effect.

For buffable weapons, like Ludwig's Holy Blade, it's more complicated. All of the weapon's base physical attack is converted to arcane attack, and the weapon will use arcane scaling instead of scaling with strength and skill. It also receives the bonus arcane damage from the gem effect. Applying this gem effect to a buffable weapon will prevent it from receiving the effects of Fire Paper, Bolt Paper, and Empty Phantasm Shell.

With Odd Arcane, left-handed firearms can add arcane attack to their bullets while retaining the normal blood attack. The Reiterpallasch can also shoot arcane-elemental bullets when using this gem effect, but it will lose its blood attack value.

Arcane damage can be very useful in Chalice Dungeons; a lot of common foes there are weak to arcane. On the other hand, there are also a number of bosses in the main game scenario that are resistant to arcane.

Odd Fire

This effect adds a set amount of fire attack, to your weapon. The possible values range from +1 fire attack to +93.8 fire attack For non-buffable weapons, like the Logarius' Wheel, they will receive the bonus fire damage provided by the gem effect.

For buffable weapons, like the Kirkhammer, it's more complicated. All of the weapon's base physical attack is converted to fire attack, and the weapon will use arcane scaling instead of scaling with strength and skill. It also receives the bonus fire damage from the gem effect. Applying this gem effect to a buffable weapon will prevent it from receiving the effects of Fire Paper, Bolt Paper, and Empty Phantasm Shell.

Also note that Oil Urns will increase the damage dealt to enemies by this effect, though each Oil Urn will only increase the damage for one hit. Still, you can do a surprising burst of damage by stacking multiple Odd Fire effects on a hard-hitting weapon and using an Oil Urn. Always be on-guard if another player throws an Oil Urn at you in PvP particularly if they are carrying something massive like a Kirkhammer!

With Odd Fire, left-handed firearms can add fire attack to their bullets while retaining the normal blood attack. The Reiterpallasch can also shoot fire-elemental bullets when using this gem effect, but it will lose its blood attack value.
As you can see below, there are tons of enemies in Bloodborne that are weak against fire attacks and very few that resist fire damage. These facts, combined with the availability of Oil Urns, make fire a very important element in any hunter's arsenal.

Notably High Fire Defense: Executioner,
Church Giant,
Keeper's Hunting Dog,
Watchdog of the Old Lord

Odd Bolt

This effect adds a set amount of bolt attack to your weapon. The possible values range from +1 bolt attack to +93.8 bolt attack. For non-buffable weapons, like the Blade of Mercy, they will receive the bonus bolt damage provided by the gem effect.

For buffable weapons, like the Saw Spear, it's more complicated. All of the weapon's base physical attack is converted to bolt attack, and the weapon will use arcane scaling instead of scaling with strength and skill. It also receives the bonus bolt damage from the gem effect. Applying this gem effect to a buffable weapon will prevent it from receiving the effects of Fire Paper, Bolt Paper, and Empty Phantasm Shell.

With Odd Bolt, left-handed firearms can add bolt attack to their bullets while retaining the normal blood attack. The Reiterpallasch can also shoot bolt-elemental bullets when using this gem effect, but it will lose its blood attack value.

There are several enemies that are weak against bolt attacks, and among them are many difficult foes. Of particular note are the Celestial Emissaries and Ebrietas.

Odd Tempering

This effect adds a set amount of physical attack to your weapon. The possible values range from +0.6 physical attack to +56.3 physical attack. All right-hand weapons, with the notable exception of the transformed mode of Chikage, deal physical-type damage, so this goes well with anything. Interestingly enough, this gem also adds to blood attack, so it works for Chikage's transformed mode and firearms, as well!

Adept

There are two types of Adept effect - blunt and thrust. Adept (Blunt) only increases the damage of blunt attacks, and Adept (Thrust) only increases the damage of thrust attacks. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to tell the damage type of your attack, as this information is not displayed in-game. Your weapon stat screen will show you if your weapon has blunt or thrust attacks, but won't tell you which attacks have those properties. This effect can range from a +0.4% increase all the way up to a +33.8% increase; it can be quite powerful. This is especially true if you have a weapon with a powerful thrust, such as the transformed charged R2 of Ludwig's Holy Blade. When used against enemies with low thrust defense, like Brainsuckers, it can be incredibly damaging.

Note that blunt and thrust do not apply to elemental damage; only your physical and blood attacks can benefit from this effect. The Adept effect doesn't mix well with elemental effects! Specifically, fire, arcane, and bolt do not benefit. Oddly enough, blood attacks do benefit; your transformed Chikage's dashing R2 will indeed receive the bonus from an Adept (Thrust) effect!

Bloodtinge

The Bloodtinge effect increases your blood attack by a percentage ranging from +0.4% to +33.8%. Firearms are prime candidates for this effect.

Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear do benefit from the Bloodtinge effect. This only works for their gunshots, but if you are able to stack three +33.8% Bloodtinge effects on them and have a high bloodtinge stat, their shots surpass most normal firearms when not using Bone Marrow Ash.

It also works with Chikage, but it only affects the transformed mode attacks; if you specialize in the transformed Chikage it could be worth it, but you may be better off with a Tempering effect instead.

Arcane

The Arcane effect increases your arcane attack by a percentage ranging from +0.3% to +28.1%. Logarius'Wheel, the Burial Blade, and the Blade of Mercy will receive the bonus arcane damage provided by the gem effect.

Tonitrus, Chikage, and the Rifle Spear are special cases; they cannot benefit from this gem. If you would like for them to have arcane attack, you'll need to use the Odd Arcane effect instead. For buffable weapons, like Ludwig's Holy Blade, it's more complicated. All of the weapon's base physical attack is converted to arcane attack, and the weapon will use arcane scaling instead of scaling with strength and skill. It then receives the bonus arcane damage from the gem effect. Applying this gem effect to a buffable weapon will prevent it from receiving the effects of Fire Paper, Bolt Paper, and Empty Phantasm Shell.

Left-handed firearms cannot use the Arcane effect. The Reiterpallasch can, and this enables it to shoot arcane-elemental bullets when using this gem effect. It will lose its blood attack value, though.

Fire

The Fire effect increases your fire attack by a percentage ranging from +0.3% to +28.1%.

Non-buffable weapons cannot benefit from this gem. If you would like for them to have fire attack, you'll need to use the Odd Fire effect instead.

For buffable weapons, like Ludwig's Holy Blade, it's more complicated. All of the weapon's base physical attack is converted to fire attack, and the weapon will use arcane scaling instead of scaling with strength and skill It then receives the bonus fire damage from the gem effect. Applying this gem effect to a buffable weapon will prevent it from receiving the effects of Fire Paper, Bolt Paper, and Empty Phantasm Shell.

Left-handed firearms cannot use the Fire effect. The Reiterpallasch can, and this enables it to shoot fire-elemental bullets when using this gem effect. It will lose its blood attack value, though.

Bolt

The Bolt effect increases your bolt attack by a percentage ranging from +0.3% to +28.1 %. Tonitrus will receive the bonus bolt damage provided by the gem effect, but all other non-buffable weapons cannot benefit from this gem. If you would like for them to have bolt attack, you'll need to use the Odd Bolt effect instead.

For buffable weapons, like Ludwig's Holy Blade, it's more complicated. All of the weapon's base physical attack is converted to bolt attack, and the weapon will use arcane scaling instead of scaling with strength and skill. It then receives the bonus bolt damage from the gem effect. Applying this gem effect to a buffable weapon will prevent it from receiving the effects of Fire Paper, Bolt Paper, and Empty Phantasm Shell.

Left-handed firearms cannot use the Bolt effect The Reiterpallasch can, and this enables it to shoot bolt-elemental bullets when using this gem effect. It will lose its blood attack value, though.

Tempering

This effect increases your physical attack by a percentage. The possible values range from +0.3% to +28.1 %. All right-hand weapons, with the notable exception of the transformed mode of Chikage, deal physical-type damage, so this goes well with anything. Interestingly enough, this gem also adds to blood attack, so it works for Chikage's transformed mode and firearms, as well!

Nourishing

Nourishing increases all of a weapon's attack power by a percentage. The values can be from +0.3% to +24.4%. This boost applies to all of a weapon's damage types.

At first glance, this seems like a weaker effect than Tempering, since the maximum Nourishing effect (24.4%) is less than the maximum Tempering effect (28.1 %). The key is to use the Nourishing effect with a weapon like Logarius' Wheel that has multiple damage types; all of the attack powers will receive the boost! In the case of the Logarius' Wheel, its physical attack and its arcane will both be increased.

The Nourishing effect can apply to every weapon that has a gem slot, but it's best used for those that have more than one damage type; specifically: Tonitrus, Logarius'Wheel, Burial Blade, and the Blade of Mercy. It can be used for firearms as well, but the Bloodtinge effect is better for those.

Notably, there is a negative version of this effect. The values range from -0.3% to -24.4%. This a terrible effect in almost every situation and should be avoided.

Heavy

The Heavy effect adds strength scaling to a weapon. The effect values can be from +0.3 to +28.1. This can be used on any right-hand weapon, but it only influences the weapon's physical attack. Blood attack is completely ignored, so this will not affect the shot power of Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear. It's also useless for Chikage's transformed mode.

This effect is best used to tailor a weapon to your stats. If you have high strength, the Heavy effect will offer some benefit. That said, this only affects physical damage and Tempering is often better.

Sharp

The Sharp effect adds skill scaling to a weapon. The effect values can be from +0.3 to +28.1. This can be used on any right-hand weapon, but it only influences the weapon's physical attack. Blood attack is completely ignored, so this will not affect the shot power of Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear. It's also useless for Chikage's transformed mode.

This effect is best used to tailor a weapon to your stats. If you have high skill, the Sharp effect will offer some benefit. That said, this only affects physical damage and Tempering is often better.

Warm

The Warm effect adds bloodtinge scaling to a weapon. The effect values can be from +0.3 to +28.1. This only works for weapons that naturally have blood attack, and it only increases blood attack. It will increase the power of left-hand weapons, Chikage's transformed mode, and the gunshots of Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear. If you have high bloodtinge, the Warm effect will offer some benefit. That said, the Bloodtinge effect is usually better.

Beasthunter

This gem effect increases your damage against beasts. The value ranges from +0.4% to +33.8%. The effect stacks multiplicatively; having three max Beasthunter effects on your weapon will give you a stunning 139% increase to your damage against beasts. Obviously, this is a huge boon against beast-type enemies. The limitation is that it only works against beasts; this isn't really a great effect for your main weapon, but if you want to keep a weapon dedicated strictly to killing beasts this effect will work very well. This can appear as a negative effect with values ranging from -0.4% to -33.8%. There are a lot of enemies that count as beasts, so this isn't great, but if you may be able to tolerate the negative version of this effect if the gem comes with something else that you really want. Just be prepared to deal with beasts in another way; items, a co-op partner, or a backup weapon are all possible options.

Cold

The Cold effect adds between +0.3 and +28.1 arcane scaling to a weapon. Weapons that naturally have arcane attack (Logarius' Wheel, Burial Blade, and Blade of Mercy) can use this. It can also be used with buffable weapons, but they must first be equipped with either an Arcane effect or an Odd Arcane effect; since those effects convert their physical attack to arcane, the Cold effect will then function properly. If you have high a arcane stat, the Cold effect will offer some benefit. That said, the Arcane effect is usually better.

Kinhunter

This gem effect increases your damage against kin. The value ranges from +0.4% to +33.8%. The effect stacks multiplicatively; having three max Kinhunter effects on your weapon will give you a stunning 139% increase to your damage against kin. Obviously, this is a huge boon against kin-type enemies. The limitation is that it only works against kin; this isn't really a great effect for your main weapon, but if you want to keep a weapon dedicated strictly to killing kin this effect will work very well. This can appear as a negative effect with values ranging from -0.4% to -33.8%. There are less kin enemies than beasts, so you may be able to tolerate the negative version of this effect if the gem comes with something else that you really want. Just be prepared to deal with kin in another way; items, a co-op partner, or a backup weapon are all possible options. There are very few enemies in the game fall in to the Kin category.

Murky

The Murky gem effect gives you the ability to inflict Slow Poison build-up on the enemy. At low levels, the build-up is too slow; you'll kill the enemy before inflicting the status. At high levels, though, it can be very effective. The range goes from +0.2 to +18.7. The effect can be applied to any right-hand weapon, but note that the gun attacks of Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear cannot inflict poison. Poison build-up is the same per hit, regardless of the damage that your attack does. For this reason, poison works best with fast weapons and weapons with multi-hit attacks. The Blade of Mercy can build up poison very quickly with its rapid transformed mode R1 attacks and has very low stamina consumption. Logarius' Wheel's transformed mode R2 hits several times and also works well with the Murky effect.

Some tough enemies are actually easy to poison. Poison is also very useful in co-op; you can coordinate gems so that multiple players are causing build-up. That's even more valuable given that bosses receive a major health boost when you fight them in cooperative play. The poison may not do much damage quickly, but it adds up over a lengthy boss battle.

Dirty

The Dirty gem effect gives you the ability to inflict Rapid Poison build-up on the enemy. At low levels, the build-up is too slow; you'll kill the enemy before inflicting the status. At high levels, though, it can be very effective. The range goes from +0.2 to +18.7. The effect can be applied to any right-hand weapon, but note that the gun attacks of Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear cannot inflict poison. Poison build-up is the same per hit, regardless of the damage that your attack does. For this reason, poison works best with fast weapons and weapons with multi-hit attacks. The Blade of Mercy can build up poison very quickly with its rapid transformed mode R1 attacks and has very low stamina consumption. Logarius' Wheel's transformed mode R2 hits several times and also works well with the Dirty effect.

The Chikage is another weapon that you may be drawn to when using the Dirty effect; it has a natural Rapid Poison effect in its transformed mode. This is a good match, and the transformed Chikage, when loaded with three max Dirty effects, can do more Rapid Poison build-up in a single hit than any other weapon in the game. Despite that, the Blade of Mercy is an equally worthy weapon for your Dirty effects for fighting normally; the attack speed and low stamina costs are enough to make up for the lower build-up per hit In PvP on the other hand, it may be difficult to land large combos on the enemy, so dealing a lot of build-up in one attack is extremely useful.

Finestrike

The Finestrike effect increases your damage when you land a counterhit. Your attack power will be increased between +0.4% and +37.5% depending on the power of the effect. To get the bonus, you have to land a counterhit, which means that you need to strike the enemy as it attacks or just after. It's harder to pull off than a normal attack, but the damage bonus is extremely high. Of all the weapons, this effect works best with the Rifle Spear; the combination of speed and range makes it easy to land counterhits. The power is also quite good, so the boost from the Finestrike effect is also high. Particularly in co-op, where the enemy is not focused on you exclusively, you can get a very nice bonus from stacking Finestrike.

In PvP it may be difficult to land counterhits, but it will certainly surprise other players if you hit them with a weapon dedicated to Finestrike effects. A risky tactic that will work against some players is to use a large weapon loaded with Finestrike effects in conjunction with a Lead Elixir. If they try to interrupt your attack, it will fail and they'll eat a massive counter hit. This is suicide against a good player, though; they'll recognize your gimmick immediately and hit you hard from range or with charge attacks that break your temporary super armor.

Radiant

This effect reduces the stamina cost of your attacks; the value ranges from a 0.1 % decrease in cost to a 9.4% decrease! If you are using a stamina hog like the Hunter Axe or the Kirkhammer, this effect may be even more valuable than a damage increase. On the other hand, a light weapon like the Blade of Mercy is already stamina-efficient, so the Radiant effect might be overkill. Also be warned that this effect has a negative version that increases costs. You can have you costs increased from 0.1 % all the way up to 9.4%. This is pretty terrible, but if your gem has another really, good effect, you might be able to live with it. If you're using a light weapon, the increased cost might not bother you as much as it otherwise would, and you could always use the Anti-Clockwise Metamorphosis Caryll Rune to increase your max stamina. Just be sure that the other effect is worth it!

Striking

Striking increases the damage of your charge attacks; these are the moves that require you to hold R2 until they execute. The possible increases range from +0.4% to +37.5%. This only influences the physical damage, though; elemental attack power is not increased by the Striking effect.

In some ways, this is similar to Finestrike; the damage increase that comes from this effect is massive, but it requires skillful play to gain the benefit. For weapons like the Hunter Axe, Ludwig's Holy Blade, and the Rifle Spear that have amazing charged R2 attacks, this effect can really shine. Just remember that when you are using R1 or uncharged R2 attacks, you won't see any damage increase at all! This is an amazing effect for advanced players.

Remember that some weapons have faster charge attacks than others. The Saw Cleaver, for example, isn't as powerful as some other weapons, but its charged R2 comes out very quickly. You can reliably strike an enemy with it and can even perform a second charged attack while an enemy is staggered from your first one for crazy damage When combined with this gem effect, the damage is frankly ridiculous. Non-buffable weapons are generally not recommended for this effect. They have split damage types, and only the physical portion of their attacks will be increased by Striking.

Pulsing

The Pulsing effect will restore a few points of your HP each second, yes, it's as powerful as it sounds. The effect ranges from +0.5 HP per second to +5.6 HP per second. This effect will stack if you have it on your left-hand weapon and your right-hand weapon. This is a passive, defensive effect. It won't help your damage output, it can keep you alive. There are tons of special situations in which you might use it, as well. In a poison swamp, you can use this to limit how often you need to heal the poison damage. If you use the transformed Chikage, this can help to offset the health drain. If you're running low on your stock of Blood Vials, you can use this to heal so that you can save up.

Having this on a back-up firearm is very good. You can use your main firearm for damage and only swap when you need the HP regain. The challenge is that you'll need to find this effect on either a Circle gem or a Droplet gem. You can actually get a moderately strong one in the main game from the Doll's sidequest. This can also appear as a negative effect with values ranging from -0.5 HP per second to -26.3 HP per second. This is one of the worst negative effects possible, and you should avoid it if you can.

Lethal

You might expect a gem effect named "Lethal" to increase your attack power, but it does not. Instead, it improves the amount of health you can Regain after taking damage. It increases the HP you Regain per hit by a percentage. The percentage can vary from +0.2% to +18.8%. If you have an aggressive playstyle, this can work out pretty well as you will be able to Regain more HP while attacking. It synergizes very well with Lead Elixirs. Lead Elixirs grant you super armor so you can take a hit or two without flinching; this means that you can keep swinging your weapon With a heavy weapon, you can get hit, keep swinging, make the enemy flinch, and possibly even Regain all the health you lost thanks to the Lethal effect.

Dense

The Dense effect slows the rate that your weapon loses durability; this makes it harder for your weapon to break. The values can range from 0.4 to 37.5. This is not a particularly useful effect. As long as you repair your equipment whenever you return to the Hunter's Dream, you shouldn't have problems with it breaking. The Dense effect can also appear on Cursed gems as a negative effect; the values range from -2 to -187.5. Of all the negative effects, this one is the most manageable. Different weapons have different natural durability ratings, though; this effect is easier to deal with on high durability weapons like the Logarius' Wheel. Be warned; low durability weapons like Tonitrus, Chikage, and Reiterpallasch will break very quickly when under a Cursed Dense effect.

Durability: Numbers in these effects show how many more or less hits you will have to make till 1 durability is depleted. Example if your Blood Gem effect states WPN durability UP+2.8 it will take 13 hits to deplete 1 durability point against the enemy/object instead of default 10 without this effect. Maximum negative effect can be 1 durability point down for each hit.

Fool

There are two versions of the Fool effect; one raises your physical attack, and the other one raises all of your attack power regardless of element. The requirement, though, is that you must be at full health.

Fool (physical) can range from +0.4% to +35.6%. For most weapons, this is the better choice; it gives a huge boost in attack power. In fact, it's only slightly less powerful than Striking or Finestrike, but the condition is easier to fulfill. This is an excellent effect, and it does apply to the gunshots of Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear. Fool (all) can range from +0.3% to +30%. For Tonitrus, Logarius' Wheel, Burial Blade, and Blade of Mercy, this is the better effect as it increases both the physical and elemental attack powers of those weapons.

Both forms of this gem are pretty bad for Chikage; in normal mode, they're fine, but transformed mode doesn't work well at all. The health drain from the transformed Chikage ruins the Fool effect. Combining the Fool effect with the Pulsing effect is a very good idea; the HP regeneration from Pulsing will keep your HP full for use with Fool. You don't even have to have the Pulsing effect on your main weapon; it can go on a firearm.

Poorman

There are two versions of the Poorman effect; one raises your physical attack, and the other one raises all of your attack power regardless of element. The requirement, though, is that you must have low HP; specifically, you must be below 30% of your maximum HP. This is far riskier to use then the Fool effect.

Poorman (physical) can range from +0.4% to +37.5%. For most weapons, this is the better choice; it gives a huge boost in attack power. In fact, it's as powerful as Striking or Finestrike, but the condition is obviously risky to maintain. This is an excellent effect, and it does apply to the gunshots of Reiterpallasch and the Rifle Spear. Poorman (all) can range from +0.3% to +31.9%. For Tonitrus, Logarius' Wheel, Burial Blade, and Blade of Mercy, this is the better effect as it increases both the physical and elemental attack powers of those weapons.

Both forms of this gem are pretty bad for Chikage; in normal mode, they're fine, but transformed mode doesn't work well at all The health drain from the transformed Chikage ruins the makes it difficult to maintain the Poorman effect unless you balance it with a Pulsing effect.

On the other hand, Chikage is an excellent, safe way to activate the Poorman effect without putting yourself in danger; just equip Chikage and use transform mode until the Poorman effect appears, and then immediately swap to normal mode. You can then change to whichever weapon you would like to use.

There are two main approaches to the use of this gem effect; either stack HP so that you can survive a light hit even in Poorman mode or completely ignore HP and focus on dodging everything. If you choose to stack HP a high vitality stat is required, and you should use Clockwise Metamorphosis Runes for the additional HP. Ignoring HP altogether and trying to dodge everything is honestly a pretty bad idea in Bloodborne; there are no reliable shields, and the game's Regain mechanic is based entirely around the assumption that you will get hit. Enemies have a variety of fast, nearly impossible to dodge low-damage attacks that normally wouldn't bother you .. but they'll be fatal if you don't increase your max HP and instead focus on the Poorman effect.